Bigu Pill

Chapter 43: Bigu Pill

Song Shuhang and Pharmacist toured Daji Street, looking at over a dozen apartments for rent. Unfortunately, none caught Pharmacist's eye, and Shuhang had no idea what kind of place he was looking for.

If this doesn't work out, we can try other neighborhoods, Shuhang thought.

Just then, Pharmacist finally found a house he liked.

It was a brand-new, three-unit, five-story townhouse, complete with a wall and front and back yards. The exquisite decoration clearly showed how much effort the owner had put into it.

It was a good house!

But it didn't look like it was for rent at all!

"This is the one, let's rent it!" Pharmacist roared with laughter.

"Wait a minute, Senior, this house isn't for rent, it's someone's private residence," Song Shuhang called out.

But Pharmacist didn't listen to his explanation. Laughing heartily, he dragged Song Shuhang to the house and rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" a deep, gruff voice sounded.

Soon, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a buzz cut and a slight paunch appeared, looking at Song Shuhang and Pharmacist.

He stared at Pharmacist's afro for a long moment, then asked doubtfully, "Delivery?"

"No, we want to rent a house," Pharmacist said, cutting to the chase.

The middle-aged man stiffened, his mouth twitching. However, he replied politely, "I'm sorry, my house is for my family's private use. And my family doesn't really like living with strangers, so we have no intention of renting it out."

"You don't like living with strangers? That's fantastic!" Pharmacist said happily. "Me neither, I don't like living under the same roof as strangers. So, why don't you move out, and rent the entire building to me? Name your price for the rent, I won't haggle!"

I have a feeling Pharmacist's words are really asking for a beating, Song Shuhang covered his face. Asking the original owner to move out and then renting the house to himself? Wouldn't the original owner have to sleep on the streets? How could such an annoying way of asking to rent a house possibly succeed?

As expected, the homeowner's veins were bulging on his forehead, and he looked displeased. "I'm very sorry, I don't lack that little bit of money, so the house is not for rent. Please look elsewhere, goodbye."

To endure this much, it shows the homeowner is a well-mannered gentleman. If it were me, I don't think I could stand it, I'd at least have to call him crazy or something!

"Hey, think about it! Money is really not an issue!" Pharmacist still didn't want to give up.

Song Shuhang could already imagine the homeowner angrily chasing them away. He quickly grabbed Pharmacist, intending to forcibly drag the senior away.

Little did they know, Pharmacist and Song Shuhang ended up moving into that three-unit, five-story house.

"Oh my, this kind of detached house is indeed the most suitable, and the size is just right. After removing the walls, each floor can become a pill refining room!" Pharmacist toured the house floor by floor, nodding with satisfaction.

"But we originally only needed to rent one room," Song Shuhang complained.

Everything in the mortal world has a price. The reason you can't buy some things is often not because they are not for sale, but simply because you haven't offered enough money.

This three-unit, five-story townhouse was no different.

Even though the owner had put his heart into building it for himself and his family to live in, after Pharmacist threw down an irresistible sum of money... the middle-aged man, whose veins had been bulging and who looked like he was about to throw a punch, had a face that changed like Peking Opera makeup, instantly turning from cloudy to sunny.

Then, the man happily handed over the property and land use certificates, all the keys to the main door and rooms, and agreed with Pharmacist on a time to handle the property transfer procedures.

Then, the man's family moved out of the house within two hours. That efficiency was top-notch!

Yes, he bought it.

Pharmacist had outright bought the entire house.

Rich people are willful!

"Don't worry about these details, the most important thing is that we have a suitable pill refining room, and we can start refining Body Tempering Liquid," Pharmacist laughed heartily. He took out a porcelain bottle from his embrace, poured out a pill, and threw it to Song Shuhang.

Song Shuhang took the pill, looking confused.

"This is a Bigu Pill, something that can substitute for food, one of the essential daily pills for cultivators. As your cultivation deepens in the future, you might spend months, even years or decades in seclusion. Cultivators still need to eat, and this Bigu Pill comes in handy. Just keep it in your mouth, and the medicinal effect will continuously dissolve. This one is the lowest quality, but for you, this one Bigu Pill can replace a month's worth of your meals," Pharmacist explained with a smile.

"Thank you, Senior." Song Shuhang felt a warmth in his heart. Pharmacist actually remembered he hadn't eaten lunch. The seemingly rough Pharmacist was surprisingly meticulous and considerate.

Pharmacist: "Don't be so polite. Keep it in your mouth for a while, and after you're full, we'll go refine Body Tempering Liquid."

Song Shuhang put the Bigu Pill in his mouth, and suddenly, it was fragrant. At the same time, the hunger in his stomach vanished, and moments later, he felt like he was about to burp.

"If you feel full, take it out to avoid overeating. Also, before the Bigu Pill completely dissipates, it can be used repeatedly. Keep it well, you might need it in the future," Pharmacist added. The shelf life of the things he refined was measured in centuries, so there was no need to worry about spoilage.

Hearing this, Shuhang took the Bigu Pill out of his mouth and put it away again. Fortunately, he hadn't swallowed it. He had been wondering if the Bigu Pill could be like in the TV shows, where after swallowing it, you wouldn't need to eat or drink for a month.

Now it seemed that if he had swallowed it, he would probably have been stuffed to death.

Induction cooker, no problem.

Hot pot basin, OK.

The forty-five simplified Body Tempering Liquid medicinal ingredients were also arranged by weight and order beside Song Shuhang.

"Repeat the process from your first time refining, start now," Pharmacist said. "Don't feel pressured, and don't worry about failing. I have plenty of ingredients for Body Tempering Liquid."

Song Shuhang smiled shyly. He closed his eyes and recalled the process of refining Body Tempering Liquid for the first time. Since it had happened just yesterday, and it was his first time refining it, he remembered every step clearly.

"Add water first." A ladle of water was added to the hot pot.

Then, slices of Ginseng were added and simmered for five minutes.

Next came Goji Berry, and it was simmered for another five minutes.

When it came to the third medicinal ingredient, 'Morning Dew Mysterious Grass', Song Shuhang stopped timing. He began to gaze at the subtle changes in the medicinal ingredients in the hot pot. After a moment, he started increasing the heat of the induction cooker.

The Pharmacist stroked his chin, staring at Song Shuhang's every move. He remained silent, not daring to disturb him.

Even though I was mentally prepared, I still can't connect Young Friend Shuhang's actions with 'pill refining'. the Pharmacist thought with a sigh.

Fortunately, he was a relatively modern Pharmacist.

If some old-fashioned alchemists knew that Song Shuhang was refining pills using a hot pot and an induction cooker, they would probably be so angry they'd get liver pain.

Also... modernizing the alchemy furnace needs to be added to the plan in advance. At least for pills that don't require 'dan fire' or special flames, modern equipment offers easier control over heat and temperature. the Pharmacist mused inwardly.

Like Song Shuhang right now, he could control the heat perfectly just by pressing a few buttons. This was something old-fashioned alchemy furnaces couldn't do, even with a Fire Control Magical Treasure.

At this moment, with the help of the Ice Pearl, Song Shuhang entered a state of high mental concentration once again. In his eyes, nothing existed but the Body Tempering Liquid he was refining.

The Pharmacist's gaze revealed admiration.

Although he was a bit older, this Song Shuhang might just have a talent for pill refining!